Hari Raya is just days away, and with the interstate and interdistrict travel ban in place, Malaysians are desperate to find a way past roadblocks:

This man, however, got in trouble for being a little bit too desperate.

Oops, kantoi!

An elderly man was arrested after he tried to cheat his way into obtaining a police permit to travel interstate, Bernama reported.

According to the report, the 65-year-old man from Petaling Jaya tried to impersonate a retired police officer when he was appplying for a police permit.

Petaling Jaya district police chief ACP Mohamad Fakhruddin Abdul Hamid told the news agency in a statement that the man had approached the district police headquarters in PJ on Sunday (9 May) to apply for a permit to travel interstate.

While making the application, he reportedly showed the police officers on duty a photograph of him in full police uniform on his handphone.

The man then claimed that he was a retired police officer with the rank of assistant commissioner of police (ACP) and a 'Datuk' title.

(Side note: we can't really argue with the 'Datuk' title, 'cos he may have grandchildren at home)

Suspecting something was amiss, the police officers asked the man for proof, and it was at that moment that the man knew he messed up.

"When asked by police, he failed to produce documentary evidence to back his claim of being a former senior police officer,” ACP Mohamad Fakhruddi said in the statement.

The man was immediately arrested and remanded for a day for investigation.

ACP Mohamad Fakhruddi added that the man will be investigated under Section 170 of the Penal Code for impersonating a public servant, which carries a two-year jail term and a fine, or both.

So, boys and girls, this is why you should never be someone you are not - especially a high-ranking police officer than one can easily Google.